Turn for turn Dwarmin. No backing out!
CLAIRE & ZATHYRAN
Zathyran, overhearing Claire and Jonas's conversation, indicated he might have the answer to her question and pulled out his FAQ/Walkthrough/Strategy Guide grimoire. (5, Minor Success) Marcus's notes were mainly about how to dispatch the fishmen, but after searching through the pages carefully he found a bit that pertained to what Claire wanted. "It looks like fishmen really like gemstones, zircons in particular," he said, showing her the entry. Well. That would be useful knowledge!
WYMAR SANE
The gypsy settled down in a pew to get comfortable with his new book and study it. (6, a little progress is made) It would take more study, but he was definitely learning how to combine Fire and Light. Bored of the books for now, he closed them and got out his tarot cards. (And personally I'm hoping Wymar at least makes it through the next battle so I can give him an evo pertaining to tarot. :3 Anyway, 6.) After a bit of thought, he chose the Palladini deck in the Shadowed Truth spread and laid out the cards. For the significator, he chose the Page of Swords.
The first card in the center, representing the client's attitude towards the question - in this case Claire, since she had asked, with the question being "What lies ahead?" - was the Page of Pentacles. It meant the supplicant was looking for material gain. That sounded about right. Next was the card to the east, representing the underlying thoughts and feelings of the client. It was the Three of Swords, representing sorrow since it was reversed. It indicated her attitude was in reaction to a previous hardship; losing her crew perhaps? It also meant she should keep her head up and stay positive; negative emotions would lead her to her doom.
The northern card, representing how Claire's attitude was evolving, was the Knight of Pentacles. It represented earth behaving as fire, like molten magma; slow to action, but decisive and unrelenting once started, a force of nature as predictable as it was unstoppable. It represented duty, honor, and the will to change the world through unstoppable determination. Fourth up was the card to the west, representing how other perceived Claire. It was the reversed Eight of Swords, indicating Interference. In summary, it meant she needed to move on from the past. Again, was it referring to her crew? How odd. Last was the southern card, representing the shadow of Claire's psyche, the part of herself she denied. It was Strength in reverse, meaning she felt she would be unable to overcome the obstacles in her future, that she wouldn't be prepared for them.
Wymar gathered his cards and thought about how to interpret the reading. It boiled down to that the road ahead would be hard and frightening, but if they had the courage to stick with it and hold out to the end they would change the world and get a lot of loot in the bargain. So... tough enemies then? Hmm....
PIERRE Dé GRASSE
Pierre strolled back up to the altar and plunked down his old armor and rapier. He wasn't needing those any more! They vanished, and the tears and scrapes along his armor that the party had inflicted when fighting the demon mended themselves, bringing the plate mail back to full strength! He also grabbed a bottle of consecrated wine while he was there, just because. (Pierre gets Consecrated Wine! It's holy. :3)
FRIAR GREENMOORE
Greenmoore went to the bunks and laid down. (5) He dreamed about ham. It was kind of watery though and really wasn't that good. :\ At least it was ham.
EVERYONE
Naptime. Everyone found a bunk and caught some z's.
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The next day dawned cold and gray. When everyone awoke, they found themselves in the ruins of an old church, the roof partially torn off and exposing the main room to the wind and the weather. The pews were scattered around in various states of disrepair, and parchment scraps covered the floor in small piles. Weaver was already up and cooking something in a cauldron. "Good morning," he said as they shuffled in. "It looks like Sister Winstead, and indeed the church itself, was a ghost." He didn't seem too surprised by it. "In any case we'll be safe here for the moment. Here, eat up. It's the best I could manage in the circumstances."
After a breakfast of watery ham and onion stew, all nine members of the party set out on the path leading out of the ruined village. "There it is," Jonas said, indicating the distant structure with his pistol. "The dark lord's abode. We should be there by afternoon, if the fighting isn't too heavy. I'll come with you part of the way, but I'll be going my own path soon. If the gates are locked I'll need to open them for the rest of you."
(MAR: 3) They proceeded down the path, unharmed for the moment.